On the PBS Newshour Wednesday, they did a segment on Rocco Landesman, National Endowment for the Arts chair. You may remember that he made some disparaging remarks about Peoria, then visited Peoria last November. During the PBS news segment, there’s footage from his Peoria visit as well as his explanation/apology for the disparaging comments he had made earlier:
JEFFREY BROWN: You created a stir early on with the Peoria comment. And it sounded as though you were saying that money should go to places with proven merit, as opposed to the more traditional sort of distribution geographically. That’s the way it sounded.
ROCCO LANDESMAN: Well, Peoria was really a figure of speech. I’m a Broadway guy, and there is that great old Vaudeville expression, will it play in Peoria? I didn’t mean anything personal to Peoria. And what I was trying to say was really that art that’s going to be supported by the NEA is going to be on the basis of merit and quality, not just because it exists in a certain place. And we’re going to be wherever it is.
So there you have it: Peoria’s national reputation has been restored. Who could ask for anything more?
[Smiling] I missed the restoration of Peoria’s reputation…
“Peoria was really a figure of speech”
I’ll wait and see how long it takes for the first check from Washington to arrive. Merit and quality… hmmmmm.
Will it be the symphony, the museum, the ballet, theater… ???
NEVERTHELESS… “a program to train teachers to train kids to take tests”…. he sure does understand NCLB…
Did you catch the last line of the program? The NEA funds The Arts coverage on PBS…. that just seems weird.
I guess I would be asking for Rocco to be honest about what he said, and how he meant it. Obviously, he ain’t doing so now.
Peoria Ballet in the news…from Gary Panetta
http://www.pjstar.com/entertainment/x1530316193/Peoria-Ballet-cuts-artistic-director
“Financial pressures have led to the elimination of the position of artistic director at the Peoria Ballet and along with that position Erich Yetter”
I guess the check didn’t arrive in time. Thanks NEA.
So Peoria has lost Commanday and Yetter in just barely a year. “It’s Better Here!”
It had been a while since I had seen so many so far up a person’s behind until Rocco was in Peoria. I was afraid that he would be found in Creve Coeur with FED scrawled on his chest….